Tag: Philip Riley

This one stings – Notre Dame loses four-star commitment in 2021 class

Notre Dame lost one of its biggest recruits in the 2021 class on Friday.

Notre Dame has received bad news this week in regards to a COVID-19 outbreak that postponed their scheduled game at Wake Forest for this Saturday until December.  Now the Fighting Irish have taken a hit in the recruiting game, too, four-star corner back Philip Riley has de-commited from 2021 recruiting class.

Riley, a four-star corner from Valrico, Florida helped raise up the spirits of Notre Dame fans when he committed to the program shortly after the Irish lost out on prized running back Will Shipley earlier this year.

Riley seemingly has his pick of the litter in terms of college choices as he holds 41 offers from schools. For what its worth, 247Sports has now listed USC as the only program as “warm” under Riley’s potential choices.

It’s hard enough to make a college decision to begin with but then factor in that Riley wasn’t being able to make an official visit to Notre Dame due to the NCAA restrictions right now and it’s hardly a surprise.  I would expect plenty more de-commitments coming nationwide, not just with Notre Dame, as a result of an incredible unique recruiting cycle.

Riley exiting the class leaves a whole at defensive back where now only Ryan Barnes, Chance Tucker and Justin Walters remain committed.  Expect Notre Dame to try and fill this sudden void before National Signing Day in late December.

Related – Get familiar with Notre Dame’s current 2021 recruiting class

Midweek Recruiting Update: Johnson offer, latest on Colzie, and more

A look at the latest recruiting news for Notre Dame Football.

It’s safe to say that it’s been fairly quiet on the recruiting trail for the Irish. The coaching staff changed that last night, as they offered Northwestern commit Theran Johnson.

The instate cornerback has been committed to the ‘Cats since May 3 of this year, Johnson is a very solid prospect. He stands six-feet tall and weights 170-pounds. The offer should catch Johnsons attention as aside from Northwestern, every other one of his offers are from non-Power Five schools.

I love this offer, Johnson is a player that might take some time to develop, but getting some of the better talent in Indiana to play for the Irish is a positive development. Almost all of the top 25 players in the state are heading off to a Power Five team, the Irish only have a commit from Blake Fisher. Yes, he’s a big one, literally and figuratively, the top overall player in the state.

Looking ahead at what’s to come for the Irish, the potential for Georgia wide receiver Deion Colzie to rejoin the class is looking better and better as we inch towards his commitment date on the 28th of this month.

Tom Loy, of Irish Illustrated, changed his crystal ball pick to the Irish. That gives me a ton of confidence that as of right now, Colzie is trending to rejoining Lorenzo Styles Jr. as the wide receivers in the 2021 class.

Right now the class consists of nine players on offense: quarterback Tyler Buchner, running back Logan Diggs, Styles Jr., Fisher, offensive tackle Joe Alt, guard Rocco Spindler, center Pat Coogan and tight end’s Mitchell Evans and Cane Berrong.

The defensive commits are a group of nine as well: defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio, defensive ends David Abiara and Jason Onye, linebackers Prince Collie and Will Schweitzer, and defensive backs Philip Riley, Ryan Barnes, Chance Tucker and Justin Walters.

The group of 18 players ranks 12th at ESPN, 13th at 247Sports and 11th at Rivals. Brian Kelly has a solid group of three players committed in the 2022 class: offensive tackle Joey Tanona, tight end Jack Nickel and safety Nolan Ziegler.

It has been a bit slow, but with Colzie’s timeline to recommit set and spatula being brought out to flip Johnson, there could be some positive movement for the Irish. Stay tuned to Fighting Irish Wire for the latest in Notre Dame Football recruiting.

Notre Dame commits move in updated Rivals Top 250

Plenty of Irish commits saw movement with Rivals updated Top 250 prospects in the 2021 recruiting class.

We knew yesterday that Notre Dame commit Blake Fisher had earned the coveted 5th star, but what we didn’t know what where the rest of the Irish class would land in Rivals updated Top 250.

We know now where they landed and here is their movement, the ranking on the left was prior to the update.

Offensive tackle Blake Fisher 22 -> 18

Wide receiver Lorenzo style Jr. 39 -> 41

Quarterback Tyler Buchner 46 -> 80

Offensive guard Rocco Spindler 56 -> 59

Defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio 99 -> 100

Cornerback Philip Riley unranked-> 240

The majority of Notre Dame commits stayed in about the same range except Buchner, who fell 34 spots. Mike Farrell, Rivals national director of recruiting, explained Buchner’s fall as he “clearly changed his throwing style and gave us pause but we didn’t want to free fall him.” It wasn’t a free fall, but dropping that far in the rankings is still concerning.

Fisher made just a three spot move up, but enough to get him the 5th star. Farrell said this about the offensive tackles upward movement on their rankings: “Fisher was my call for the most part as I love his size and aggressive nature. He’s thinned down some and if he add some flexibility he could be the next great offensive lineman at Notre Dame.” Pretty high praise for Indiana’s best prospect.

It was also nice to see cornerback Philip Riley get some love. He looks like a prospect that is still rated way too low at this moment.

Even with this update, the Irish did not move much inside the team rankings, as they checked in at 11th nationally. With 18 commits, there might be room for a few more prospects that will be added to the 2021 class. Either way, Brian Kelly should be fairly happy with the recruiting effort in ‘21.

Former annual rival offers prized Notre Dame commitment

With Notre Dame’s “friends with benefits” deal with the ACC the meetings between the Irish and Spartans have become a lot more rare as the two haven’t met since 2017 and won’t again until 2026 and 2027.

Notre Dame and Michigan State used to play annually in football in a series that featured one of the most famous games in the history of college football, the 10-10 tie in the 1966 battle.

With Notre Dame’s “friends with benefits” deal with the ACC the meetings between the Irish and Spartans have become a lot more rare as the two haven’t met since 2017 and won’t again until 2026 and 2027.

Just because the teams haven’t met on the field for a while doesn’t mean the battles in recruiting have gone away as new Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker recently offered prized 2021 cornerback and Notre Dame commitment Philip Riley, Jr. a scholarship.

Riley committed to Notre Dame on May 5 in what was a huge win for new cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens and the Fighting Irish.

Riley had some big time offers before choosing Notre Dame as the likes of Clemson, Oregon, Penn State and Texas were just a few of the several.

It seems like it’d still be a major upset to see Riley not ultimately wearing blue and gold but it’s worth noting and worth following a bit how hard Tucker and Michigan State go here as that will tell us what we need to know about how open, or not open Riley may be to potentially even looking elsewhere.

MSU Football offers 4-star CB Philip Riley, currently committed to Notre Dame

Michigan State has extended an offer to Philip Riley Jr., a 4-star CB currently committed to Notre Dame.

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Mel Tucker has no fear on the recruiting trail. The Michigan State Football head coach is already going after two players (Steffan Johnson, Albert Reese) who had previously committed to Rutgers, and it looks like he is now also targeting one of the top recruits in Notre Dame’s 2021 recruiting class in 4-star CB Philip Riley Jr.

Riley is the No. 13 ranked cornerback in the country by the 247Sports rankings and the No. 28 ranked player in Florida. He’s had offers from some huge players including Clemson, Texas, Iowa, Penn State, Oregon, Mississippi State and more, so it would be pretty surprising if Tucker can pull him away from Notre Dame amidst all of the other interested parties, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to throw your hat in the ring for a game-changing player.

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Notre Dame’s new position coach who is crushing recruiting

Mike Mickens was a relative unknown when he was hired by Brian Kelly this winter but has already made a huge impact in the recruiting game.

Raise your hand if you knew anything about Mike Mickens when news came down back at the start of the new year that former Notre Dame star and secondary coach Todd Lyght was leaving his post.

Currently in the room I type this in my eight month old daughter didn’t raise her hand and my arms both stayed by my side after typing that, too.

I’m not afraid to say I knew nothing about the former Cincinnati Bearcats star when his name began to get mentioned as a potential candidate to replace Lyght, but Mickens has shown early that just because he might not have brought the name brand that Lance Taylor brought when he took over the running backs, it doesn’t mean he can’t make an immediate impact.

A simple glance at Notre Dame’s 2021 recruiting class now shows 13 commitments with four of those coming in the secondary after Chance Tucker announced his college decision on Wednesday.

Along with Tucker you find four-star corner Philip Riley, three-star corner Ryan Barnes and three-star safety Justin Walters.  The corners were all offered by Mickens, who as Carter Karels of the South Bend Tribune points out, has had great success early in some incredibly unique times.

The numbers alone speak volumes but when you factor in the pandemic and official visits not taking place it only makes his start with the Fighting Irish coaching staff that much more impressive.

Mickens had quite the resume in the actual coaching part of the job at Cincinnati.  The Bearcats went from 113th nationally in defensive pass efficiency in 2017, a year before his arrival.  The last two seasons saw Cincinnati finish all the way to the top 15 nationally with Mickens coaching the cornerbacks.

There are obviously no guarantees that will automatically translate but based off of what we’ve seen Mickens accomplish in some of the strangest times any of us have ever seen, his time at Notre Dame is clearly off to an outstanding start.

Want to learn more about Mike Mickens?  Check out the five fast facts we found out about him upon his hiring at Notre Dame.

By Chance, Notre Dame Lands 13th ’21 Commitment

Tucker joins four-star corner Philip Riley, three-star corner Ryane Barnes and three-star safety Justin Walters in the defensive backfield of Notre Dame’s 2021 class.

Make it a lucky 13 for Notre Dame’s 2021 recruiting class as they landed a commitment from three-star corner Chance Tucker on Wednesday.

The Encino, California (Crespi) star has a three-star grade from both 247Sports and Rivals.  The latest Notre Dame commitment picked the Irish over his other finalist, Washington.

It’s another win for new defensive backs coach Mike Mickens who has made an impact early in his tenure as he’s now landed commitments from three defensive backs in the ’21 class.

Tucker joins four-star corner Philip Riley, three-star corner Ryane Barnes and three-star safety Justin Walters in the defensive backfield of Notre Dame’s 2021 class.

247Sports ranks Tucker as the 77th overall corner in this class.  The high school senior recorded 58 tackles, 10 pass breakups, three interceptions and a blocked field goal in 13 games last fall.  He also added 13 receptions for 176 yards and a pair of scores offensively.

Tucker unofficially visited Notre Dame during Independence Day weekend and despite not having the traditional official visit, it appears to have made enough of a positive impact on Tucker.

Keep it locked to Fighting Irish Wire for all the latest on recruiting and for more information on the Chance Tucker commitment!

New 247Sports Recruit Rankings Sees Irish Commit Fall

With a new update to the 2021 class recruit rankings, a once highly thought of Notre Dame commit has fallen in 247Sports update.

In their newest update to their Top 247 players at 247Sports, Notre Dame commit Cane Berrong is going the wrong way in the rankings. Previously the Georgia tight end was the 218th overall player, but with another update, Berrong has dropped once again, all the way off the list.

It seems like the recruiting service is not very high on the tight end, as Berrong continues to see his ranking fall. It is unfortunate for the Irish to see this happen, but it’s hard to justify prospects moving anywhere due to the inactivity this summer with the country dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Players all across the country are being reevaluated on old tape and it doesn’t make much sense to me why we’re seeing movement in the rankings.

Looking at the rest of the class, there wasn’t as much movement. The crown jewel of the 2021 Notre Dame recruiting class is California quarterback Tyler Buchner, who went from 49th to 43rd, a move in the positive direction. Offensive tackle Blake Fisher dropped one spot to 85th, while wide receiver Lorenzo Styles Jr. moved up 3 spots to 125th. Gabriel Rubio, the defensive tackle from Missouri, once again dropped, this time from 112th to 147th while Philip Riley stayed at 216th in the country.

With this new update the Notre Dame 2021 recruiting class is currently 15th in the country, with just 11 total commits. Brian Kelly has made it known that to get to the next level, the Irish need to recruit with the elite’s like Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State and Georgia. Kelly and his staff will need to step their game up in order to finish near the top of the recruiting rankings this cycle.

Watch: Philip Riley’s highlights, Notre Dame’s Newest Commit

Take a look at newest Irish commit Philip Riley’s highlight tape from his junior year at Valrico Bloomingdale in Florida.

The Irish received a commitment from Florida defensive back Philip Riley this afternoon.

Take a look at his highlight reel, as he will be roaming the Irish secondary starting in 2021.

[protected-iframe id=”a2ab62ede39a995dbda4045166960a4e-162776928-178902091″ info=”//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/9590903/5dbd06065b3d4d0c6878fe9a” width=”640″ height=”360″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen=””]His future teammates were pumped at the decision, as Pat Coogan and Tyler Buchner were just a few who were excited to see Riley jump on the 2021 Notre Dame recruiting class.

 

 

Riley becomes the 8th commit in the 2021 class and the second member of the secondary with safety Justin Walters.

 

Notre Dame Lands Big Time Cornerback Commitment

Notre Dame got some much-needed good news Tuesday afternoon after landing a commitment from top-20 CB Philip Riley from Florida.

The sting of missing out on the Will Shipley sweepstakes didn’t sting as hard, or at least not for as long as Notre Dame fans may have expected.  Less than an hour after Shipley announced his commitment to Clemson, Notre Dame landed a big-time commitment from cornerback Philip Riley.

What do you need to know about Philip Riley?

The four-star prospect attends Bloomingdale High School in Valrico, Florida but is originally from the state of Washington.  Riley had received 40 scholarship offers from the likes of Clemson, Florida State, Penn State, Texas and USC as well as plenty of others to give you an idea of how sought after he was.

This is a win for Notre Dame and an even bigger win for new defensive backs coach Mike Mickens who offered Riley a scholarship not even six weeks ago.  Mickens tweeted his excitement about Riley’s commitment shortly after it was announced.

Riley is the ninth commitment in Notre Dame’s 2021 recruiting class but the first corner back in the group. He joins safety Justin Walters of Bolingbrook, Illinois in the class of 2021’s secondary.